10 Things I Learned Last Week from Best-in-Class Customer Service

Last week I had an otherworldly experience thanks to a generous uncle, a grieving mother, and 8 incredible crewmembers.

My father passed away in January, so this has been a year of firsts without him, which has been particularly hard on my mom (they were married for over 40 years and spent nearly every day together). So with Thanksgiving approaching, one of my mom’s brothers–a very successful architect–asked if she would like to get out of the house for the holiday week and travel around Key West on his yacht. My mom accepted this generous offer and invited her kids (me and my siblings, plus some kids and significant others–10 total people) to join her. This was all very last minute, but this was the only chance any of us will ever have to hang out on a yacht for a week, so we made it work.

The yacht is staffed by 8 crewmembers, each responsible for specific tasks. But it became quickly apparent that their number one goal was to provide an incredible experience for the 10 of us. I’ve never felt more pampered or better served, and I learned so much from the crew:

1. Ask for preferences in advance: A few days before the trip, we each filled out a document listing our food and drink preferences. The meals were crafted around this document, and as far as I can tell, the crew went on a big shopping trip before we arrived based on these documents.
2. Everyone is customer service: From the captain to the engineer to the chef, the first mate, and the stewards, everyone seemed to fully embrace that their top priority was serving the guests. It made me realize that most organizations do this quite differently–they have a designated customer service person or team rather than having everyone put customers first.
3. Create memorable moments: Every meal–especially the dinners–had a specific theme to it. I was a little unsure about this at first, but it turned out to be a lot of fun, and each meal is distinctly memorable as a result. I apply this to game design just as much as I do to customer service.
4. Learn individual preferences and proactively anticipate needs: Other than the document we filled out in advance, we were complete strangers to the crew when we arrived. But rather quickly I noticed how the stewards were learning each of our individual preferences. One of my brother’s favorite moments was when an espresso appeared at the exact moment he wanted it, without him saying a thing.
5. Ensure that customers remain in the “magic circle”: The crew did everything they could to take the stress out of the vacation and let us stay in the “magic circle” of the experience. For example, if we were thinking about snorkeling, they scouted the area in advance to see if it looked good. If we wanted to try something off the boat, they made the calls and handled the reservation.
6. Operate as a team to prevent and solve problems: Leading up to the trip, I was curious why a boat would require 8 crewmembers to serve 10 people (and the yacht itself), but now I know why (beyond just the facts of a yacht being a complex vehicle). With 10 guests on a big boat, people often end up in different areas and trying completely different activities. For example, there was a day when a few of us tried the jet skis and others went to a beach. The staff split up to ensure the health and safety of both parties. Also, having 8 crewmembers allowed them to look after their own needs in terms of food, sleep, etc.
7. Both specialize and generalize: I mentioned before that each crew member has specific responsibilities and expertise. But they were all very knowledgeable about the yacht and the services they could provide, so even if a certain request wasn’t part of their typical responsibilities, they could take care of it quickly when it made sense.
8. Attitude of abundance and affirmation: The crew constantly found ways to say “yes” to various requests (which we tried to keep to a minimum), and the table was filled with food at every meal. The attitude of abundance was nice–definitely something I want to improve when offering a new product to customers–though it was sometimes even too much.
9. Focus on quality: All of the above elements were enhanced by the sheer quality of everything on the yacht, including the food. It was a good reminder to me that quality isn’t just part of the product composition–it’s literally how we serve our customers.
10. Happy beginnings and celebratory endings: One thing I noticed throughout the week is that the crew made a priority to creating special moments at the beginning and ending of any experience or meal. For example, if we ever left the boat, the crew made a big deal about our departure, and there were fresh cocktails waiting when we returned (which required a lot of communication within the crew). Again, this was a great reminder to me both for customer service and for game design–our memories are often defined by the start and the finish of any experience.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have had this yacht experience, and I’m grateful for the entire crew for treating my family so well. I wish my dad could have been a part of it, but we shared a lot of memories and stories about him during the week. I’ll be donating blood in his honor soon.

Have you ever had the good fortune of experiencing 5-star customer service? What stood out about it to you?

Also read:

• The 6 Core Philosophies for Great Customer Service
• 4 More Elements of Great Customer Service
• 3 Ways to Better Serve Customers and 2 Ways Customers Can Help Publishers Serve Them

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